Friday, August 14, 2015

"In
the moment, when an animal says ‘I’m afraid’, either get him out of the
situation or comfort him."Suzanne Clothier

We often worry about inadvertentlyreinforcing unwanted behavior, especially when the dog is showing fear (like submissive peeing), but it is important to understand the need to make the dog feel safe and comforted before we can help the dog work through his fears.This brief video is part of a lecture by Suzanne Clothier about Calming a Fearful dog.She illustrates what she calls "Calming Contact" and explains why being "Calm, Firm, and Clear" in your communication with a fearful dog will help convey the sense of safety that he needs.The single
most important thing a fearful dog needs is to feel safe, and it is incumbent
on us to understand what that means from the dog’s perspective.